A Cooking Legacy…

Jollof Cous Cous w/ Honey Glazed Baked Chicken

Giant Couscous is the big brother of regular Couscous. Just like my older brothers (I have two) it’s bolder in shape and size and can take the heat (giant couscous is normally toasted in an open flame oven, which allows it to keep its shape). This also makes it pretty stubborn…we’re talking about my brother’s here, but for the couscous it’s good that it remains al dente in texture after cooking.

These pearl-like grains are a great alternative to regular couscous, or pasta, or in this case rice as jollof rice is a main stable in many Nigerian and Ghanaian dishes. I absolutely love jollof. I used to live with a Nigerian lady for 2 years and she cooked this practically every week with so much ease. I love the peppery perfumed smell and the shocking yellow/red colour of the rice created by a combination of peppers and tomatoes.

The chicken was an easy accompaniment to this dish, once the chicken is in the oven the cous cous takes about 8-10 minutes to prepare once you’ve created the tomato stew. The longer you leave the chicken to marinate, the sweeter the taste. Enjoy!

1. Clean the Chicken and marinate in all the ingredients listed under chicken (except the honey and lime). Marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Day of cooking

2. When ready to cook, take the honey and lime, mix together and set aside.

3. Take a baking tray and drizzle with oil. Place in a heated oven (Gas Mark 6) for 5 minutes or till the pan gets hot.

4. Take the chicken and clean off any excess marinade. Remove the baking tray from oven and place on top of kitchen stove. Place the individual chicken pieces in the pan, it should sizzle as you do so. Then baste the chicken with the honey and lime glaze before returning the pan to the oven.

Continue to baste the chicken throughout its cooking with the honey and lime. This should take up to 25-30 minutes.

Making the ‘Stew’ for the Cous Cous

1. Blend the tomato, red pepper, scotch bonnet until smooth.
2. In a deep pot fry the onion and garlic in oil for 5 minutes or until soft.
3. Then add the blended tomatoes to the pot and allow it to fry for 8-10 minutes, to allow most of the water to evaporate from the sauce.
4. Then add the tomato paste and bay leaves to the sauce and cook for a further 2 minutes.

5. Add the chicken stock dissolved in boiling water and allow it to simmer for a further 2-3 minutes. Then add the curry powder, salt and thyme. season to taste.
6. You should have at the end of the process, a thick tomato sauce. At this point you want to turn the fire very low and add the couscous, stirring it in thoroughly with a fork until fully drenched in the sauce.

You may wish to add some water at this point, if you do, add a quarter of a cup at a time: cover the pot tightly with a lid and check after 3 minutes. Stir the pot, and add a little water if needed, otherwise cover the pot again and allow the couscous time to swell and drink up the sauce.
7. Giant couscous should take no more than 10 minutes to cook fully. At the end, take a knob of butter or drizzle of olive oil through the couscous. Serve with the chicken.

Yep!! I sure do! But above all, just tasty.. Naija people love pepper but like to add thyme and even a pinch of curry powder.. Have you cooked anything else Nigerian? If not take a look at allnigerian recipes.com.. I think.. Type into Google..

Ah, Ranette, I forgot to say.. Look at the blog, allnigerianrecipes.com.. It is written by an Igbo Nigerian Lady living in the States, showing people the soups, stews, and snacks of Nigeria! I have cooked and recommend, Akara,Edikaikong,and Okro Soup.. I also tried my best to pound my own yam.. It went well, but only the natives know the authentic texture etc.. Lol!

Also try Egusi Soup.. Delicious! But watch the salt content(egusi absorbs salt and if not careful, you may add too much.. Bitterleaf is a good soup, but boil the leaves until most of the bitterness has gone. Hope that helped..

Also if you have time have a look at redrebelremarks.wordpress.com.. Its a friend of mines site which is a poetry, discussions and stories.. The site is fairly new but have a look at what’s there and feel free to comment!